Written Answers Thursday 13 July 2006

Scottish Executive

Culture

Chris Ballance (South of Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive how many trips have been organised by the Friends of the National Galleries of Scotland (a) to galleries in Edinburgh from other cities and (b) from Edinburgh to galleries outwith Edinburgh since the Friends’ inception in December 2000.

Patricia Ferguson: This is an operational matter for the National Galleries of Scotland. I have asked the Director-General, John Leighton, to reply directly.

Scottish Criminal Record Office

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, when a request is received from a foreign law agency for DNA information on individuals held by the Scottish Criminal Record Office, the individuals concerned are notified of the request and whether they have a right to appeal against a decision to agree to the request.

Cathy Jamieson: The individual would not be informed because of the possibility of prejudicing a criminal investigation. If a DNA stain taken from a crime scene matches a profile on the DNA database, the relevant police force would be informed. A new evidential DNA sample would be required from the individual before that evidence could be presented in court. This would apply equally to a crime stain from outwith the UK.

Sex Offenders

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) former prisoners and (b) individuals who have been cautioned have been placed on the sex offenders’ register in each month since the register was introduced.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) former prisoners and (b) individuals who were cautioned who have been placed on the sex offenders’ register have been in breach of the obligations thereby placed on them in each month since the register was introduced.

Cathy Jamieson: The information requested is not collected centrally. The publication or release of information relating to sex offenders registered in Scotland is a matter for police forces individually and collectively to consider.

Supermarkets

Eleanor Scott (Highlands and Islands) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to draw the Competition Commission’s attention to the impact of market practices of supermarkets on Scottish producers.

Eleanor Scott (Highlands and Islands) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made a submission to the Competition Commission’s inquiry into the grocery retail market and, if so, what the submission contained and whether the Executive will publish it.

Eleanor Scott (Highlands and Islands) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what communications it has had with the Competition Commission in respect of the role of Scottish farmers in the grocery market.

Ross Finnie: I have responded to the Competition Commission’s invitation to comment on its investigation into the retail grocery market in the UK. I recommended that the Competition Commission address the importance of encouraging collaborative trading relationships within the supply chain so that the commercial viability of primary producers is not undermined by short-term price pressures brought to bear by retailers. I also suggested that there is a need to develop a more effective mechanism for dealing with complaints under the Supermarket Code of Practice.

  My response is available on the Scottish Executive website and on the Competition Commission website:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Agriculture/Agricultural-Policy/17452/grocsupply.

  http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/inquiries/ref2006/grocery/third_party_submissions_government_departments.htm.

Supermarkets

Eleanor Scott (Highlands and Islands) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to ensure that farmers are treated fairly by supermarkets.

Ross Finnie: In all my meetings with the main supermarkets I stress the importance that the Executive attaches to sustainable trading relationships across the food supply chain.

Teachers

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many teachers have retired on grounds of stress-related illness in each of the last three years.

George Lyon: Ill-health retirement has been approved for teachers who are members of the Scottish Teachers Superannuation Scheme in the last three years as detailed in the following table:

  

 Year
 Approved Ill-Health Applications [Stress]


 2003-04 
 88


 2004-05 
 80


 2005-06 
 47

Young Offenders

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive by what year it expects the number of persistent young offenders to fall below (a) 900 and (b) 600.

Cathy Jamieson: The youth justice performance baseline for 2003-04 indicated that there were 1,201 persistent young offenders in Scotland at that time. The target was to reduce that by 10% by end 2005-06.

Youth Crime

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making on the implementation of the 10-point action plan arising from Scotland’s Action Programme to Reduce Youth Crime 2002 in the Dumbarton parliamentary constituency.

Cathy Jamieson: I refer the member to the following link to the dedicated youth justice website, which provides a summary update on action plan progress as at June 2006:

  http://www.youthjusticescotland.gov.uk/library/10%20point%20action%20plan%20on%20Youth%20Justice.doc.